oughness of the sea, or the rapidly rising wind.

Suddenly a heavy drop or two of rain fell in the boat. All looked up.

"We are in for a squall," Frank exclaimed, "and no mistake. I told you
you would get a ducking, Ruthven."

He had scarcely spoken when the squall was upon them. A deluge of rain
swept down, driven by a strong squall of wind.

"Sit in the bottom of the boat," Frank said; "this is a snorter."

Not a word was said for ten minutes, long before which all were drenched
to the skin. With the rain a sudden darkness had fallen, and the land
was entirely invisible. Frank looked anxiously towards the shore. The
sea was getting up fast, and the boat tugging and straining at the
cord of the grapnel. He shook his head. "It looks very bad," he said to
himself. "If this squall does not abate we are going to have a bad time
of it."

A quarter of an hour after it commenced the heavy downpour of rain
ceased, or rather changed into a driving sleet. It was still extremely
dark, a thick lead colored cloud overspread the sky. Already the white
horses showed how fast the sea was rising, and the wind showed no signs
of falling with the cessation of the rain storm. The boat was laboring
at her head rope and dipping her nose heavily into the waves.

"Look here, you fellows," Frank shouted, "we must take to the oars. If
the rope were a long one we might ride here, but you know it little more
than reached the ground when we threw it out. I believe she's dragging
already, and even if she isn't she would pull her head under water with
so short a rope when the sea gets up. We'd better get out the oars and
row to shore, if we can, before the sea gets worse."

The lads got up and looked round, and their faces grew pale and somewhat
anxious as they saw how threatening was the aspect of the sea. They had
four oars on board, and these were soon in the water and the grapnel
hauled up. A few strokes sufficed to show them that with all four rowing
the boat's head could not be kept towards the shore, the wind taking it
and turning the boat broadside on.

"This will never do," Frank said. "I will steer and you row, two oars on
one side and one on the other. I will take a spell presently.

"Row steadily, Ruthven," he shouted; "don't spurt. We have a long row
before us and must not knock ourselves up at the beginning."

For half an hour not a word was spoken beyond an occasional cheery
exhortation from Frank. The shore could be dimly